The March shenanigans are already underway.
With many conference tournaments starting to get into the quarterfinal, the level of competition is rising. The Virginia and Syracuse game in the ACC tournament was the perfect example of what happens when you raise the stakes at this time of the year. With the score tied at 69, the ball ended up in freshman Reece Beekman’s hands, who put up a three, the buzzer sounding just before the ball went through the hoop.
Beekman became the hero for Virginia with his buzzer-beating three, advancing Tony Bennett’s squad to the next round.
Virginia is projected to be a 3 or 4 seed in the tourney according to ESPN, but Syracuse desperately needed to win that game to solidify their spot in the tournament.
Syracuse is a bubble team that is currently one of ESPN’s “Last Four In.” This loss against Virginia won’t do anything to help their chances of making it to the Big Dance. Jim Boeheim and his squad will now anxiously await their fate this Sunday AKA Selection Sunday.
For Beekman, the buzzer beater gave him his only points of the game. He’s only a 26 percent three-point shooter and averages 4.7 points a game on the season.
These are the moments that make March so magical. The hard-fought games and unsung heroes are why sports fans look forward to this month every year.